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Monday, July 30, 2018

The Battle of Saratoga and a Great-uncle

Battle of Saratoga - Andy Thomas, Artist - Google Image

John Oliver
(1725-1811) is the 7th great-uncle of my sons. He was born in Northern Ireland
and immigrated with his parents in 1736 to the Province of Massachusetts Bay. He
lived in Athol, Worcester County, Massachusetts; had a wife, Mary L. Beaman
(1728-1810); and together, they had 11 children. John was also a Captain of the
Massachusetts Militia at the Battle of Saratoga from 19 September 1777 to 17
October 1777 – also known as “The Burgoyne Alarm.”The Battle of Saratoga is considered by many
historians to be a turning point for the Americans during the American Revolution.

John Oliver was one
of four captains in Col. Nathan Sparhawk’s 7th Worcester Company of the
Massachusetts militia; specifically, captain of the Third Company. John was commissioned a captain on 5 April 1776. This particular militia was sent to
reinforce the American troops “at the time of reduction of General Burgoyne,”
the British commander. [1] As a captain, it was John’s responsibility to teach
the soldiers how to work together and how to survive on the battlefield. The illustration to the left shows the standard captain insignia for the
Continental Army during this war. These would be worn attached to the
shoulders of the individual uniform.

Massachusetts Militia

It was not easy
being an American soldier at this time. The death rate was high because of
battles, espionage, and disease. The British has the best weapons, best
commanders, and trained killers. The Americans were barely trained and had few
supplies. [2]However, the Battle of Saratoga
changed everything. According to author Dean Snow, showed that “an improvised
army of amateurs could take on the best army in the world and force it
surrender.” [3] Because of the American success at Saratoga in defeating the
British, the French started providing troops and supplies to the Americans. All
in all, this win was a boost to the American spirit.

When John Oliver died in 1811, his tombstone was inscribed as follows: Capt. Third Co. Mass./1777 The Burgoyne Alarm ~ John is buried in the Old Pleasant street Cemetery in Athol, Massachusetts.

Photo from Findagrave.com

[1] “Participants in the Battle
of Saratoga.” Saratoga County NYGenWeb
Project – Saratoga County, New York, Heritage Hunters of Saratoga County,
15 Oct. 2015, saratoganygenweb.com/batlo.htm.

[2] “Life of an American Soldier in the
Revolutionary War.” Infogram,
infogram.com/life-on-an-american-soldier-in-the revolutionary-war.